Branding

ECD/SCW. Why not take on McDonald’s? An ambitious Quick-Service Restaurant serving one of the busiest lunch crowds in the world, I joined this start-up as a copywriter, and was later asked to lead all creative. I worked closely with the owners, architect and tech team to create the branding, mission statement and tag line, brand promises, signage, digital menu boards, unique in-store ordering system, customized ‘green’ packaging elements, uniform design, as well as the UX and content development of the web site, name generation and menu development, and a social media campaign “How would you de-junk NYC” campaign. www.4food.com

CW. Pioneer and powerhouse of the green beauty industry, Aveda UK opens in Selfridges, London. Always popular backstage with stylists and make-up artists, these wall murals speak to Aveda’s rich environmental heritage—and its ties to the fashion world. Working in-house for Aveda as a Sr. Copywriter, I was called on to name products, create campaigns, collateral, in-store signage, as well as write ingredient stories, magazine copy, web copy, radio scripts, and score free stuff when lucky.

Identity/Name generation. Had I known when I was in Mrs. McVean’s 3rd grade class in Memphis, Tennessee, that there were grown-ups who got to name stuff (other than their Cabbage Patch Doll) for a living, I probably would’ve claimed this as my future occupation instead of archeologist. Today, Branding and Identity work is something I still love to do. Instead of a sweating in a desert with a shovel, I dig into the psychology of a brand’s personality. In this case, a New York-based partnership between a Director and Executive Producer, needed a name for their full-service branded content and production company.

SCW. Coke (RED) has a mission to usher in the first generation born free of AIDS, with zero deaths by 2015. I worked with ignition, the global experiential agency to craft the manifesto. The world’s largest dance party brought hundreds of thousands of teens together to make it happen, along with Tiesto, DeadMau5 and Skrillex.

CW/Branding. This campaign is pre-Katrina. Posters. It speaks to my fondness for the birthplace of my Mama (French Quarter) and Daddy (Ninth Ward). Art directed/designed by Austin CD, Seth Taylor, we created this awareness campaign and logo design, for the New Orleans-based, only full-time professional orchestra in the Gulf South. Side note: Thankfully none of my 45 first cousins were harmed during the hurricane. And as you may know, the music scene is only stronger.

ACD/CW. In collaboration with Think Design, the legacy of the MH was given a new identity, logo, tag line, and the launch of new web site. Aside from shopping Bergdorf’s or Barney’s everyone asks, Is that a real Miriam Haskell? In answer to the inevitable question, the fitting tag line “Yes it is” was born. The woman who flew to Paris to select pearls with Coco Chanel over tea created the legacy that is now collectible costume jewelry. The flagship label needed its own attention after time had been spent on a healthy list of licensed labels. To write about this fashion maven’s history, I poured over coffee table books, lingered in the halls of the fashion district office, and watched who are but a few trained jewelry designers hand-bead the still hand-made works of MH. Read more at www.miriamhaskell.com.

CW/Concept. Another from the greatest hits. Ideas sometimes trump words . For GSD&M, this ad is an example of how “writing” is just as much about editing—and stepping aside for the story. The branding challenge here, was how to depict Southwest as cultured. This ad appeared in the Communication Arts Advertising Annual.

ACD/CW. Unilever steps up the image of one of the best selling shampoos on the aisle by recognizing its professional line with a savvy-centric web site and social community. Tools, contests and promotions showcase a product that reaches a wide audience.

CW/Concept/Director. From the greatest hits. Some freelance projects come along that you later realize were one of the highlights. As a senior copywriter for the R/GA team, my first assignment was composing the Target brand manifesto for the digital space. Also helped conceive, write and launch www.designforall.com. As part of the launch, I interviewed/ directed the site videos with ClearRx pharmacy bottle designer, Deborah Adler, as well as her design mentor, Milton Glaser who brought the SVA student’s master thesis idea to Target. I later went on to work in-house creating concepts and name generation for Target beauty.

CW/Concept. When an entrepeuneur interviews writers from several disciplines—editorial, journalism, advertising—in the hopes of finding someone who can tell the ‘real stories’ of seven fledgling shoe designers with emotion and craft, I was curious to learn more about the project. Two and a half weeks later, I was in the air to Barcelona to conduct interviews with the emerging designers from the hottest fashion houses, at their new Te Casan studio there. I was to capture who they were in unique profile formats for the Brand book, in-store signage, and PR campaign usage. I worked closely with Pompei AD, NY in the development of the book for Te Casan’s first signature, multi-level flagship store in the heart of SoHo. As for the shoes ladies, collections ranged from crystal-encrusted stilettos to high-end technical trainers. Natalie Portman had a short-lived but beautifully realized line of vegan shoes that followed.